Push A Shopping Cart
Props:
Setup: Place your cardboard piece over your leverage item to create a slight incline. This should be set up so that your shopping cart can easily be rolled with a slight push, yet stays in place when untouched. Finally, place your shopping cart onto the top of the cardboard. Recommended Pre-Requisite: Training “paws up” beforehand can really help with this trick. If you would like help training this to your rat, you can find a tutorial on how to do so by clicking on the button below: |
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Step 1:
Place your cart on a flat surface. Now start by luring your rat into placing their paws onto the shopping cart handle. Repeat this several times, until the rat starts placing their paws up onto the cart handle without any assistance.
Place your cart on a flat surface. Now start by luring your rat into placing their paws onto the shopping cart handle. Repeat this several times, until the rat starts placing their paws up onto the cart handle without any assistance.
Step 2:
Now place your cart onto the slight incline. Use a treat to lure your rat into pushing the cart forwards. Since the cart is on an incline, it should roll as soon as your rat puts any direct pressure on it, at which point you should reward your rat.
Now place your cart onto the slight incline. Use a treat to lure your rat into pushing the cart forwards. Since the cart is on an incline, it should roll as soon as your rat puts any direct pressure on it, at which point you should reward your rat.
Step 3:
Start to build up to your rat pushing the cart several small steps. Make sure to reward after every step at first, reinforcing your rat heavily for not trying to jump onto the cart handle (jumping onto the handle will tip the cart and may even cause your rat to fear the shopping cart).
Start to build up to your rat pushing the cart several small steps. Make sure to reward after every step at first, reinforcing your rat heavily for not trying to jump onto the cart handle (jumping onto the handle will tip the cart and may even cause your rat to fear the shopping cart).
Step 4:
Continue gradually increasing how many steps your rat must push the cart before being rewarded, always rewarding when their front paws are on the cart handle.
Continue gradually increasing how many steps your rat must push the cart before being rewarded, always rewarding when their front paws are on the cart handle.
Step 5:
Once your rat can push the cart several steps on the incline, begin to increase the difficulty by lowering the incline itself. Do this gradually, and each time build back up to your rat pushing the cart several steps before lowing the incline further.
Once your rat can push the cart several steps on the incline, begin to increase the difficulty by lowering the incline itself. Do this gradually, and each time build back up to your rat pushing the cart several steps before lowing the incline further.
Step 6:
Eventually, your rat should be able to push the cart across a flat surface!
Eventually, your rat should be able to push the cart across a flat surface!
Video Tutorial:
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